Tripnomadic/India

OVERVIEW

Ramanathaswamy in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu

A Jyotirlinga is an accurate depiction of Hindu God Shiva. There are twelve jyotirlingas Ramanathaswamy temple is one of them, Ramanathaswamy temple is the temple of Hindu God Shiva situated in Rameswaram Island in Tamilnadu. The temple was established during the 12th century by the Pandya dynasty. The Ramanathaswamy temple has the longest corridor among all the Hindu temples in India and the longest corridor in the world.

The mythology Behind Ramanathaswamy temple

According to Hindu culture, it is believed that the door of abundance is opened if a person visits any of Jyotirlinga during the Month of Sawan. It is believed that Lord Rama established the Ramanathaswamy temple; that's why the temple is known as Ramanathaswamy. When Lord Rama started his Journey to Srilanka, he created this Jyotirlinga by collecting sand from the seashore to do pooja of Lord Shiva. When he was going to drink water from the ocean, divine power asked him if he would drink water without doing payers. That's when Lord Rama built that Jyotirlinga and did pooja; He requested Lord Shiva for a boon to win against Ravana. Lord Shiva accepted his request and fulfilled his wish. From that time, this Jyotirlinga is placed here, which is known as Ramanathaswamy temple.

Another Story associated with this Jyotirlinga is that when Lord Rama came back after Punishing Ravan, he went to the placed; at that time, many Rishi's used to live in Rameshwaram. Lord Rama asked them for a remedy to the penance of Killing a human.. The Rishi's told him to Establish a Shivling, Lord Rama asked Hanuman to bring Shivling from Kailash Parvat, but he couldn't meet Lord shiva. So, lord hanuman started to meditate to call Lord Shiva. Later, Lord Shiva agreed to come, but when Hanuman got back to Rama, the Shivling was already placed by Mata Sita. He got upset asked lord Rama; Rama explained to him the reason behind about delay of sacred time. Humana asked if he can change the Shivling, Lord Rama agreed, but whenever he tried to remove the Shivling, he couldn't due to the Divine power of Lord Shiva. So, Lord Rama told him about the capabilities of Lord shiva; Hunumana placed the Shivling with other Jyotirlinga.

The architecture of the Ramanathaswamy temple

Every part of the Ramanathaswamy temple is breathtaking. The fascinating feature of the temple is the corridor which is said to be the longest in the world. The corridor is engraved with 4000 integrating couplers. There are a total of 3 nearly about 3850 feet bus stop architecture of the temple is according to the Dravidian style of the most commonly used architecture in South India.

Interest in the Ramanathaswamy temple

  • Swami temple is one of the modern-day Dham, one out of four pilgrimage places in India.
  • The temple consists of two lingams which are Ramalingam and Vishva Lingam. However, there is a belief that the temple was established and worshipped by Lord Sri Rama and supported by Devi Sita and Lord Hanuman.
  • One thousand two hundred twelve pillars in the outer corridor support the Ramanathaswamy temple; the pillars are created with intricate composition.
  • These pillars provide robust support to the Ramanathaswamy temple. Each pillar is carved with intricate Hindu designs. However, the height of each pillar is 30 feet long.
  • There are different holy places for Vishalakshi, Subramanya, Mahaganapathi, Sethumadhava, Mahalaxmi, Anjaneya, and Nataraja.
  • The temple is home to 22 Teerthams or tanks and wells as holy water bodies. These Teerthams depict the 22 arrows of Rama’s quiver. Every devotee needs to bathe before entering the sanctum sanctorum.
  • Initially, Rameswaram was known as Gandhamadhanam. After Kashi Vishvanath, the Ramanathaswamy temple is considered one of the holiest places in India.
  • The successor of the Jaffna Kingdom, Gunaveera Cinkaiariyan, was the one who refurbished the principal shrine of the temple.
  • It is a belief among the people of India that Theerthams’s holy water purifies one’s soul. Millions of devotees every year visit to have this sacred water before worshiping in the temple.
  • There are 64 Theerthams in the Ramanathswamy temple, out of which 22 Theerthams are considered holy water bodies. Surprisingly, each of them tastes different, despite being near to each other.
  • The temple is constructed with an unusual structure. On your first visit to the temple, it looks like a chessboard. The granite stones were used to build the Ramanathaswamy temple.
  • The Nandhi statue comprises bricks, seashells, and limestones that are 17 feet long and nearly 12 feet wide. The gate towers of the temple have a specialty; the east gopuram consist of 9 tiers is 126 feet long, while the wast gopuram consist of 5 levels is 78 feet long.
  • It is a belief that, during 1414 CE, for the reconstruction of the temple, the pure granite stones were specially shipped via sea.

How to Reach Rameshwaram temple

By Air - The Ramanathaswamy temple is 142 km far from Madurai Airport while 149 km far from Tuticorin Airport. Visitors can take a direct flight to Madurai. Furthermore, there are many buses and taxis available just outside the airport to take to the temple.

By Road - There is a well-formed network of roads to reach the temple. The various bus transport services are available to reach the temple from nearby cities. However, the devotees can also take a car route to get to Ramanathswamy temple.

By Rail - Rameshwaram is well connected with other parts of the nation via trains The railway stations are linked with Coimbatore, Thanjavur, and Chennai, Trichy, Madurai. Various trains arrive in the city, including the super-fast express.

The city is well connected with all types of transportation to reach the holy shrine. Tuross can take the flight to Madurai or train to Rameshwaram to get to the temple. However, taxis and cabs are parked just outside the railway stations, bus stops, and airports for tourists. However, tourists must confirm their bookings in advance to avoid the last-minute rush.